Insulating sealing element for head-of-wall joints

ABSTRACT

An insulating strip is disclosed. The insulating strip includes a support layer and a plurality of insulating material strips secured to the support layer where the plurality of insulating material strips are spaced apart from each other.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/905,711, filed Nov. 18, 2013, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention deals generally with the field of acoustical or firestopping insulation for head-of-wall joints, including, possibly, intumescent components.

In the building construction trade, a head-of-wall joint (also sometimes referred to as a top-of-wall joint) refers to the linear junction or interface existing between a top section of a framing or wallboard wall assembly and the ceiling, where the ceiling may be a next-level floor or corrugated pan roof deck, for example. Head-of-wall joints often present a serious challenge in terms of reducing or preventing the spread of smoke and fire during a building fire. In this regard and in common practice, a wall to ceiling connection of many newly constructed buildings consists essentially of metal framing assemblies. These metal framing assemblies are generally constructed from a plurality of metal framing members including studs, joints, trusses, and other metal posts and beams formed from sheet metal and frequently fabricated to have the same general cross-sectional dimensions as standard members used for similar purposes. Although many cross-sectional shapes are available, the primary shapes used in building construction are C-shaped studs and U-shaped tracks. These C-shaped studs and U-Shaped studs may vary in their size, which, however, are standardized. The steel track (or channel) is configured to receive steel studs between the legs of the shaped channel. A wallboard is generally attached to at least one side of the studs. The studs and wallboard are in many instances spaced apart from the ceiling a short gap distance in order to allow for ceiling deflections caused by seismic activity or moving overhead loads. Track and stud assemblies that allow for ceiling deflections are commonly referred to as dynamic head-of-wall systems. Exemplary steel stud wall constructions may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,854,096 and 4,805,364 both to Smolik, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,203 to Paquette. Exemplary dynamic head-of-wall systems having steel stud wall constructions may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,760 to Brady, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,705 to Orszulak et al.

Firestops are thermal barrier materials or combinations of materials used for filling gaps and openings such as in the joints between fire-rated walls and/or floors of buildings. For example, firestops can be used in walls or floors to prevent fire and smoke from passing through the gaps or openings required for cables, pipes, ducts, or other conduits. Firestops are also used to fill joint gaps that occur between walls, between a ceiling and the head-of-wall joints.

So-called head-of-wall joints pose a number of challenges for the fireproofing industry. Walls are increasingly being made of gypsum wallboard affixed to a framework of metal studs capped by a horizontally extending track. Ceilings are increasingly being made by pouring concrete onto fluted steel. Although the distance between the horizontally extending track at the top of the wall is often fixed in relationship to the ceiling, the gypsum wallboards are subject to expansion and contraction due to motion of other building components, ground settling, or other causes.

In order to contain the spread of smoke and fire, a fire resistant material such as, for example, mineral wool is often times stuffed into the gaps between the ceiling and wallboard (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,788 to Herren). For example, mineral wool is often stuffed between a steel header track (e.g., an elongated U-shaped channel) and a corrugated steel roof deck (used in many types of steel and concrete building constructions); a fire resistant and generally elastomeric spray coating is then applied onto the exposed mineral wool to thereby form a fire resistant joint seal (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,905 to Stahl). In certain situations where the ceiling to wallboard gap is relatively small, a fire resistant and elastomeric caulk is commonly applied so as to fill any small gaps. In still another approach and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,471,805 and 5,755,066 both to Becker, a slidable non-combustible secondary wall member is fastened to an especially configured steel header track and immediately adjacent to the wallboard. In this configuration, the secondary wall member provides a fire barrier that is able to accommodate ceiling deflections. All of these approaches, however, are relatively labor intensive and thus expensive.

Intumescent materials have long been used to seal certain types of construction gaps such as, for example, conduit through-holes. In this regard, intumescent and fire barrier materials (often referred to as firestop materials or fire retardant materials) have been used to reduce or eliminate the passage of smoke and fire through openings between walls and floors and the openings caused by through-penetrations (i.e., an opening in a floor or wall which passes all the way through from one room to another) in buildings, such as the voids left by burning or melting cable insulation caused by a fire in a modern office building. Characteristics of fire barrier materials suitable for typical commercial fire protection use include flexibility prior to exposure to heat, the ability to insulate and/or expand, and the ability to harden in place upon exposure to fire (i.e., to char sufficiently to deter the passage of heat, smoke, flames, and/or gases). Although many such materials are available, the industry has long sought better and more effective uses of these materials and novel approaches for better fire protection, especially in the context of dynamic head-of-wall construction joints and gaps.

Thus, and although construction joints and gaps are generally sealed in some manner (e.g., mineral wool and/or elastomeric coatings; see also, U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0137293 to Klein), there are relatively few products and methods available that effectively and efficiently seal head-of-wall construction joints and gaps to thereby significantly enhance the ability of such joints and gaps to withstand smoke and fire penetration. In particular, there are very few products and methods available that address the needs for adequate fire protection and sealing of dynamic head-of-wall systems associated with steel stud wall constructions.

Recently more advanced head-of-wall fire block arrangements have been developed based on fire block header tracks. These fire block header tracks utilize an expandable fire-resistant material, such as an intumescent material, applied along a length of the header track of a wall assembly. The intumescent material is either positioned on the web of the header track, on the legs (hereinafter also referred to as flange) of the header track or alternatively wraps around a corner of the header track, extending both along a portion of a web of the header track and a flange of the header track. The intumescent material advantageously is held in place between the web of the header track and the floor or ceiling above the wall. When exposed to a sufficient temperature, the intumescent material expands to fill gaps at the head-of-wall. The portion of the intumescent trapped between the header track and the floor or ceiling ensures that the intumescent stays in place as it expands and does not become dislodged as a result of the expansion.

With the use of such fire-resistant material, the metal tracks often require a unique construction on the exterior surface of the metal track which can have a predefined area such as a recess or the like which identifies the specific location required for placement of such an intumescent and/or acoustic layer of insulation material. In particular, as the joint moves responsive to normal expansion and contraction of the building components, the insulating tape and/or the coatings of insulating material which is attached directly to the surfaces of flanges can become dislodged from components of the head-of-wall area, that is, particularly dislodging from the surfaces of the downwardly extending side sections of the track or runner. Also these systems do not specifically address variations in the contour or profile of the ceiling or roof area which comes into direct abutment with the upper portion of the metal track. Such variations in the configuration of the building construction in this area can form gaps between the track and the adjacent roof or ceiling area which are not adequately addressed for insulation by the above described prior art systems.

A further significant disadvantage of the prior art head-of-wall fire block arrangements is that they consist of an intumescent insulating material which expands up to ten times its normal thickness when exposed to sufficient heat. In order to achieve such high expansion, a material comprising additives which additives cause the swelling of the material must be used. These additives, however, are expensive making the insulating material expensive.

One of the advantages of the apparatus of the present invention is that it is usable with conventionally OEM metal track construction and does not require any customized design for the ceiling runner, primarily, because the present construction works best when not attached in any manner to the track side surfaces sections particularly where it is important to allow for some amount relative movement therebetween during normal expansion and contraction of building materials and sections which occurs commonly. The inventors now have found out that it is not necessary to use an intumescent material as firestop material in order to provide reliable fire prevention provided that the material is fire resistant, i.e., material must not burn away but builds a stable ash crust.

It is an object of the sealing element for insulating head-of-wall joints of the present invention to effectively seal between conventionally designed metal track sections and the immediately adjacent roof or ceiling area for firestopping and/or acoustic insulating thereof.

It is an object of the sealing element for insulating head-of-wall joints of the present invention to be usable with conventional steel framing and gypsum board wall constructions.

It is an object of the sealing element for insulating head-of-wall joints of the present invention to be usable with floor or roof constructions of any conventional construction including solid concrete or a composite material installed atop a corrugated steel deck.

It is an object of the sealing element for insulating head-of-wall joints of the present invention to prevent the spread of sound, noise, fire, super-heated gases, flames and/or smoke in these areas.

It is an object of the sealing element for acoustical and/or thermal insulating head-of-wall joints of the present invention to provide more effective insulating by providing attachment of the insulating material to the metal track only in the central upper portion thereof or at the lowermost edges of the track side walls without any attachment whatsoever to the surfaces of the downwardly extending track side sections to facilitate insulating therearound irrespective of the normal expansion and contraction of building structural components that take place over the time period prior to the occurrence of the fire conditions.

It is an object of the sealing element for insulating head-of-wall joints of the present invention to minimize costs and maintenance requirements.

It is an object of the sealing element for insulating head-of-wall joints of the present invention to expedite installation and minimize labor costs.

Many patents have been applied or granted for various constructions for insulating head-of-wall joints as described above such as shown in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/247281 A1 published Oct. 13, 2011 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED WALL CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/031856 A1 published Feb. 7, 2013 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED WALL CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,552 B2 patented Oct. 9, 2012 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “EXTERIOR WALL CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,499,512 B2 patented Aug. 6, 2013 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “EXTERIOR WALL CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0086859 A1 published Apr. 11, 2013 to Donald A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED WALL AND CEILING SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,643 B2 patented Nov. 17, 2009 to Donald A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED WALL AND CEILING SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,198 B2 patented May 31, 2011 to Donald A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED WALL AND CEILING SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,087,205 B2 patented Jan. 3, 2012 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED WALL AND CEILING SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,322,094 B2 patented Dec. 4, 2012 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED WALL AND CEILING SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,752,817 B2 patented Jul. 13, 2010 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “TWO-PIECE TRACK SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,132,376 B2 patented Mar. 13, 2012 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “TWO-PIECE TRACK SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,413,394 B2 patented Apr. 9, 2013 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “TWO-PIECE TRACK SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,555,566 B2 patented Oct. 15, 2013 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “TWO-PIECE TRACK SYSTEM”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/214371 A1 published Sep. 8, 2011 to James A. Klein assigned to Blazeframe Ind. Ltd. on an “OFFSET LEG FRAMING ELEMENT FOR FIRE STOP APPLICATIONS”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,468,759 B1 patented Jun. 25, 2013 to James A. Klein assigned to Blazeframe Ind. Ltd. on a “FIRE RETARDANT COVER FOR FLUTED ROOF DECK”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/146180 A1 published Jun. 23, 2011 to James A. Klein assigned to Blazeframe Ind. Ltd. on an “ACOUSTICAL AND FIRESTOP RATED TRACK FOR WALL ASSEMBLIES HAVING RESILIENT CHANNEL MEMBERS”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/167742 A1 published Jul. 14, 2011 to James A. Klein assigned to Blazeframe Ind. Ltd. on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCK SYSTEMS AND RELATED WALL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,681,365 B2 patented Mar. 23, 2010 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCK SYSTEMS AND RELATED WALL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,718 B2 patented Oct. 19, 2010 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCKS”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,866,108 B2 patented Jan. 11, 2011 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCK SYSTEMS AND RELATED WALL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,056,293 B2 patented Nov. 15, 2011 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCK SYSTEMS AND RELATED WALL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,136,314 B2 patented Mar. 20, 2012 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCKS”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,526 B2 patented Apr. 10, 2012 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCK SYSTEMS AND RELATED WALL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0297710 A1 published Nov. 29, 2012 to James A. Klein on “CONTROL JOINT BACKER AND SUPPORT MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH STRUCTURAL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0099928 A1 published May 5, 2011 to James A. Klein and Alastair Malcolm on “DEFLECTION AND DRIFT STRUCTURAL WALL ASSEMBLIES”; CA Patent Application Publication No. 2550201 A1 published Dec. 15, 2007 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCKS AND RELATED WALL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,404 B2 patented May 22, 2012 to James A. Klein on “HEAD-OF-WALL FIREBLOCKS AND RELATED WALL ASSEMBLIES”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0186020 A1 published Jul. 25, 2013 to Don A. Pilz assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “FIRE-RATED JOINT SYSTEM”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,353,139 B2 patented Jan. 15, 2013 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “WALL GAP FIRE BLOCK DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/118102 A1 published May 19, 2011 to Don A. Pilz et al. assigned to California Expanded Metal Products Company on a “WALL GAP FIRE BLOCK DEVICE; SYSTEM AND METHOD”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/205694 A1 published Aug. 15, 2013 to James P. Stahl assigned to Specified Technologies Inc. on “INSULATING GASKET CONSTRUCTION FOR HEAD-OF-WALL JOINTS”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,375,666 B2 patented Feb. 19, 2013 to James P. Stahl et al. assigned to Specified Technologies Inc. on “FIRESTOPPING SEALING MENAS FOR USE WITH GYPSUM WALLBOARD IN HEAD-OF-WALL CONSTRUCTION”; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/091790 A1 published Apr. 18, 2013 to James P. Stahl et al. assigned to Specified Technologies Inc. on “FIRESTOPPING MEANS FOR USE WITH GYPSUM WALLBOARD IN HEAD-OF-WALL CONSTRUCTION”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,905 B2 patented Jul. 10, 2007 to James P. Stahl on “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING A JOINT GAP BETWEEN TWO INDEPENDENTLY MOVABLE STRUCTURAL SUBSTRATES”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,146 B2 patented Mar. 2, 2004 to Michael D. Morgan et al. assigned to W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn. on “IN SITU MOLDED THERMAL BARRIERS”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,345 B2 patented Aug. 31, 2004 to Michael D. Morgan et al. assigned to W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn. on “IN SITU MOLDED THERMAL BARRIERS”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,043,880 B2 patented May 16, 2006 to Michael D. Morgan et al. assigned to W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn. on “IN SITU MOLDED THERMAL BARRIERS”; U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,385 B2 patented Dec. 26, 2006 to Michael D. Morgan et al. assigned to W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn. on “IN SITU MOLDED THERMAL BARRIERS”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,702 patented Apr. 30, 1991 to T. L. Daw et al and assigned to Daw Technologies, Inc. on a “Modular Wall System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,203 patented Jul. 7, 1992 to R. F. Paquette on a “Seismic/Fire Resistant Wall Structure and Method”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,066 patented May 26, 1998 to D. W. Becker on a “Slip Track Assembly; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,788 patented Jun. 22, 1999 to T. R. Herren on a “Fire Blocking And Seismic Resistant Wall Structure”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,041 patented Jul. 13, 1999 to J. D. Egri, II on a “Bottom Track For Wall Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,385 patented Sep. 14, 1999 to T. R. Herren on an “Interior Shaft Wall Construction”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,668 patented May 9, 2000 to T. R. Herren on a “Seismic And Fire-Resistant Head-of-Wall Structure”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,053 patented Jan. 23, 2001 to Roger C. A. St. Germain and assigned to Robert C. A. St. Germain on a “Wall Track Assembly And Method For Installing The Same”.

Although the known fire block header tracks provide exceptional performance, there still exists a need for fire block arrangements that can be applied to any desired structure, such as the top of a stud wall assembly or to header tracks. Furthermore, as described herein, preferred embodiments of the wall gap fire blocks can be applied to a wall bottom track to protect a foot-of-wall gap or a (vertical or horizontal) gap in a location other than the head or foot of a wall. In addition, the intumescent material in the known fire block header tracks preferably is applied at the factory during the manufacturing process. In some circumstances, it may be desirable to apply the insulating material on site. Thus, certain preferred embodiments of the present fire blocks are well-suited to application on the job site.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide an elongated, and optional adhesive, insulating material strip that can be applied to a header track or other head-of-wall structure to create a head-of-wall insulation block, including, fire block. The insulating strip may include strip portions of another material, or the material itself may include material portions of another material if desired.

The insulating strip comprises a support layer and at least four insulating material strips, and optionally at least one cover layer that is assigned to one of the insulating material strips and preferably covers only the one insulating material strip.

The support layer, which is an elongated layer, is designed as a continuous strip defining two faces, an upper and a bottom face. The width of the continuous strip is selected depending on the size of the header track or other construction product to which the insulating strip shall be attached. The continuous strip defines a middle section which extends generally horizontally and which will be positioned on the web of, for example, a header track and defines side sections (hereinafter also referred to as first and second side section), so that the total width of the tape is larger than the width of the web. While installing the insulating strip the side sections shall cover at least partially both flanges of the header track or other head-of-wall structure.

In a first embodiment the four insulating material strips are arranged side-by-side on the same face of the support layer, either the upper or the bottom face. The strips are elongated strips and extend along the web when the insulating strip is positioned on the header track, i.e., in length direction. The insulating material strips are positioned at a certain distance between each material strip to define separated material strips and to define sections without any insulating material therebetween.

Preferably one insulating material strip is positioned on each of the side sections so that one insulating material strip is positioned on the first side section and another insulating material strip is positioned on the second side section of the continuous strip. The other two insulating material strips are positioned in the middle section of the continuous strip so that they are positioned between the insulating material strip of the first side section and the insulating material strip of the second side section. After installing the insulating strip, the insulating material strips either are facing towards the header track or other construction product or towards the supporting stricter, like the floor, wall or ceiling. It is preferred that the insulating strips are facing towards the header track so that the support layer serves as a protective layer to protect the insulating strips as discussed further below.

In a further embodiment the four insulating material strips are arranged so that two of the insulating material strips are arranged on one face of the continuous strip and two of the insulating material strips are arranged on the opposite face of the continuous strip. After installing the insulating strip two insulating material strips are arranged on the bottom face and the other two insulating material strips are arranged on the upper face of the continuous strip.

Preferably one insulating material strip is positioned on each of the side sections so that one insulating material strip is positioned on the first side section and another insulating material strip is positioned on the second side section of the continuous strip. The other two insulating material strips are positioned on the middle section of the continuous strip so that they are arranged between the insulating material strip of the first side section and the insulating material strip of the second side section. The insulating material strips are arranged at a certain distance from each other. The two insulating material strips which are positioned on the first and the second side section are arranged on the same face of the continuous strip. The other two insulating material strips which are positioned on the middle section are arranged on an opposite face of the continuous strip.

The insulating material strips will preferably include a fire-resistant material and/or an acoustically insulating material. The insulating material strips may be made from the same or different material.

The term “fire-resistant material” shall include a non-inflammable material, a flame-proof material, that is flame-proof by itself or a material comprising additives to make the material flame-proof. The material shall form a stable ash crust in case of fire. Fire-resistant material also may include intumescent materials. These intumescent materials may be constructed partially or entirely from an intumescent material such as CP 646 from Hilti, for example.

It also can be made solely from an acoustical insulating material for applications where sound transmissions are found to be desirable. Such acoustical insulating configurations can preferably be formed of a felt acoustical insulating material. Alternatively, it can be formed of a foamed insulating material. It is also possible for the insulating material of the present invention to have components of both fire-resistant and acoustical sealing therewithin.

The insulating material may preferably be constructed partially or entirely from a pressure-resistant material such as acrylate based polymer or a hard putty such as rubber, e.g., polyisobutylene based rubber. These materials may comprise a reinforcing member such as glass fibers or a glass fiber fabric to enhance strength of the material. The term “pressure-resistant” means that while installing the wallboard the material shall be deformed only slightly so that in case of vertical movement of the wallboard tilting and entanglement of the insulating material is always avoided.

In another embodiment the insulating material may be constructed partially or entirely from a compressible material such as plasticines, fabric (non-woven or woven) or a felt, e.g., glass fiber braid, glass fiber fabric or glass fiber mat. Plasticines, which are also referred to as putties, are frequently used for this application. They generally consist of a liquid polymer such as butyl rubber, plasticizers (paraffin oil, phthalates, adipates, etc.) and fillers, with a filler content of up to 80 percent. In particular the plasticine contains, as liquid polymer, at least one representative of the group comprising polyurethanes, polyvinyl acetates, polyvinyl ethers, polyvinyl propionates, polystyrenes, natural or synthetic rubbers, poly((meth)acrylates) and homopolymers and copolymers based on (meth)acrylates, acrylonitrile, vinyl esters, vinyl ethers, vinyl chloride and/or styrene, preferably poly(alkyl methacrylate), poly(alkyl acrylate), poly(aryl methacrylate), poly(aryl acrylate) and/or copolymers thereof with n-butyl acrylate and/or styrene. The plasticine may comprise fire-protection additives. In this regard reference is made to the U.S. patent application No. 2005/032934 A1, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

More preferably the insulating material is also abrasive-resistant to resist abrasion caused by the wall member rubbing against the insulating material when moving up and down to movement of the building. The material may either be abrasive-resistant by itself, i.e., due to the material or may be made abrasive-resistant by including a protective layer.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the insulating strip comprises insulating material strips made from different materials.

Enhanced strength or reinforcement of the material can be provided by including a reinforcing cover layer (herein also referred to as cover layer or protective layer) on one side of the insulating material. This is important in particular when the insulating material strip itself is made from a soft and compressible material. In case the insulating material is hard and pressure-resistant the cover layer can be omitted. However, as a matter of precaution and for aesthetic reasons a hard and/or pressure-resistant material may also be provided with a facing member. Preferably the cover layer is made of an abrasion-resistant material to avoid abrasion resulting in loss of the insulating material caused by repeatedly rubbing of the wallboard over the insulating material. The cover layer can be a film material, preferably a synthetic film like plastic or poly-type material such as polyalkylene material, for example polyethylene material. Alternatively the cover layer can be a fabric made of abrasion-resistant fibers, like glass fibers or any other suitable material. The cover layer provides protection in the event that the wall is designed to accommodate vertical movement, which could result in the wallboard rubbing against the insulating material. However, the facing member still permits the insulating material to expand in case it comprises an intumescent material. In one embodiment the cover layer has a printable surface. A positioning aid can be provided by including a mark in form of an optionally colored line on the cover layer which helps to affix the insulating strip on the header track in an ideal position. This may be important in case the insulating strip extends/protrudes beyond the surface of the web of the header track, in particular when the insulating strip is installed on site.

After having attached the insulating material strip of the first embodiment (all insulating material strips positioned on the same side of the support layer) to the track the cover layer will constitute the outer surface of the material. The cover layer will be in contact with either the ceiling or wallboard or both the ceiling and the wallboard.

In case the insulating material will be positioned only on the web of the track a cover layer protecting these material strips can be omitted since the material is secured to the ceiling by fixing the track to the ceiling so that no movement between the ceiling or other part of the wall assemblies and the insulating material takes place that would cause abrasion of the material.

In one embodiment the cover layer includes both a fabric and a synthetic film, whereas preferably the film constitutes the outer surface of the insulating strip so that the fabric is positioned between the insulating material and the synthetic film.

In each of the various embodiments the cover layer does not extend beyond the insulation material, that is, the cover layer is of the same size as the insulating material or insulating material portion.

In a preferred embodiment the support layer of the insulating strip is at the same time the cover layer. In particular, in case the insulating material includes sticky putty which provides sufficient adhesion to attach the insulating strip to the header track, the continuous strip serves as a cover layer to protect the putty against abrasion caused by the wall member rubbing against the insulating material when moving up and down to movement of the building.

The underneath surface of the insulating material strip or in case the insulating strip includes a support layer the underneath surface of the support layer may include an adhesive, if desired. In the latter case, an adhesive may be provided on the underneath surfaces of both the insulating material strip and the support layer. Preferably a removable protective layer covers the underneath surface of the entire insulating material strip and/or the support layer until the insulating strip is ready to be applied. In case the insulating material strip is made of a sticky material, such as soft or hard putty, an adhesive will not be necessary since the material itself provides sufficient adhesive power to the insulating strip.

In one embodiment one or both faces of the continuous strip may include an adhesive, if desired. Preferably both faces of the continuous strip includes an adhesive, whereas more preferably the adhesive on one face of the continuous strip provides a stronger adhesion power that other face of the continuous strip. An additional cover layer may be provided on some of the insulating strips, if desired.

The overall width of the elongated insulating strip from one outside edge of the insulating strip to the other outside edge varies depending on the size of the header track or other construction product on which the insulating strip shall be installed. The width of the middle section depends on the width of the web of the header track or other construction product. The width of the side sections depend on the desired application, e.g., normal and slotted tracks, and/or the desired deflection requirement of the insulating strip. The width of the side sections again depend on the size of the legs or the type of the leg. In any event, the insulating strips on the side sections and the insulating strips on the middle section are only positioned on the legs and on the web of the header track or other construction product, respectively. The edge of the header track will be free of any insulating material. The width of the insulating material strips on the side sections and the width of the insulating material strips on the middle section may be same or different. In one embodiment all insulating material strips are the same. It is, however, not necessary that the width of the insulating material strip on the middle section is the same as the width of the insulating material strips on the side section, to provide sufficient fire, smoke, and sound insulation. Therefore, in another embodiment the width of the insulating material strips on the side sections is greater that the width of the insulating material strips on the middle section.

The insulating strip can be applied to a header track or other construction product, such as a bottom track, metal stud, metal flat strap or any other framing member that needs an open gap between the wallboard and a perimeter structure, in particular for movement (deflection or drift) but not restricted thereto. In other words, the elongated insulating strip can be used for sealing any open gap between the wallboard and the construction product or between the construction product and a perimeter structure, like the support structure, for example floor, side walls or ceiling. The insulating strip allows the gap to stay open for movement and provides fire and smoke protection and/or sound reduction.

In one arrangement two material strip portions may be positioned on the top of the header track or other head-of-wall structure facing away from the header track towards the ceiling or wall to provide a smoke, air and sound seal at the head-of-wall. The other two material strip portions may then be positioned on a side flange of the header track or side face of the other head-of-wall structure so that the other two material portion are positioned between the header track or other head-of-wall structure and the wall board.

The compressible material strip portion may be positioned on the top of the header track or other head-of-wall structure to provide a smoke, air and sound seal at the head-of-wall. The pressure-resistant material strip portion may be positioned on a side flange of the header track or side surface of the other head-of-wall structure so that the pressure-resistant portion is positioned between the header track or other head-of-wall structure and the wall board. Preferably the two insulating material strips that are to be positioned on the web of the track are arranged near the edges of the track.

The above-described and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention are described below with reference to drawings of preferred embodiments, which are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a cross-sectional view of the insulating strip assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention having certain features, aspects and advantages of the present invention.

FIG. 1 b is a cross-sectional view of the insulating strip assembly according to a further embodiment of the invention having certain features, aspects and advantages of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the insulating strip assembly according to FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 3 is a stud wall assembly with the insulating strip assembly of FIG. 1 a installed at the head-of-wall.

FIG. 4 is a stud wall assembly with the insulating strip assembly of FIG. 1 b installed at the head-of-wall.

FIG. 4 a is an extended view of a portion of the wall assembly of FIG. 4 identified by the circle 4 a in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a illustrates an insulating strip assembly 1, which is also referred to herein as insulating strip. The insulating strip 1 is an elongated strip assembly that preferably is constructed as an integrated assembly of multiple components. The insulating strip 1 may be supplied on a roll, in a folded arrangement or any other suitable manner. Preferably, the insulating strip 1 is provided as a separate component that is applied to a head-of-wall on site, as is described in greater detail below.

The illustrated insulating strip 1 includes fire-resistant material strips 3 and 4. All fire-resistant strips 3 and 4 are positioned on the same face of the support layer 2 spaced apart from each other. The fire-resistant strips 4 are arranged at a certain distance from each other to form a section inbetween where no insulating material is arranged. The insulating strips 3 and 4 may be secured to the support layer 2 by adhesives 5 applied to the bottom of the insulating strips 3 and 4. The dotted lines indicate the position of the insulating strip 1 which aligns with the edge of a header track during or after installation of the insulating strip. The portions of the insulating strip 1 extending to the left hand side and the right hand side of the dotted line shall constitute the side section, namely the first side section on the left hand side and the second side section on the right hand side. The portion inbetween the side sections (inbetween dotted lines) constitutes the middle section. After installation of the insulating strip 1 the side sections are aligned with the legs of a header track or other construction product.

The overall width of the insulating strip 1 from one outside edge of the insulating strip 1 to the other outside edge varies depending on the size of the header track 20 or other construction product. The width of the middle section depends on the width of the web of the header track. The width of the side sections depend on the desired application, e.g. normal and slotted tracks, and/or the desired deflection requirement of the insulating strip 1. The width of the side section is selected so that the insulating strip 3 is only arranged at the leg of the header track so that the edge of the header track is free of any insulating material. The width of the insulating material strips 3 may be the same as the width of the insulating material 4 or may be different. In one embodiment the width of the insulating material strip 3 is the same as the width of the insulating material strip 4. It is, however, not necessary that the width of the insulating material strip 4 is the same as the width of the insulating material 3, to provide sufficient fire, smoke, and sound insulation. Therefore, in another embodiment the width of the insulating material strips 3 is greater that the width of the insulating material strips 4.

The insulating material strips 3 and 4 of the illustrated insulating strip 1 may be constructed from sticky putty which may comprise intumescent additives. It is understood that the term insulating material is to be interpreted to cover all possible fire-resistant materials that provide sufficient fire, smoke, and sound isolation as described above, unless otherwise indicated. In some arrangements the support layer 2 is a tape, preferably a poly tape such as polyethylene tape.

Due to the adhesive power of the putty the adhesives 5 may be omitted. To assure good adhesion, however, the adhesives are preferably applied. This also prevents tearing off the insulating material strips 3 and 4 from the support layer while unrolling the insulating strip 1 from the supply roll. An adhesive 5 will preferably be used when an additional adhesive layer (not shown) is applied to the bottom surface of the support layer 2 facing away from the surface on which the insulating strips 4 are arranged as shown in FIG. 2. Said adhesive layer supports positioning and fixing the insulating strip 1 on a header track, in particular if a long strip shall be applied in one step on-site. An adhesive 5 will be necessary when the insulating material does not provide adhesion by itself, e.g., in case of a material on an acrylate basis.

FIG. 1 b illustrates an insulating strip assembly 1, which is very similar to the insulating strip 1 shown in FIG. 1 a. Accordingly, the same reference numbers are used to indicate the same or similar components or features between the two embodiments. These two embodiments only differ in the arrangement of the insulating material strips 3 and 4. All other features are identical.

The illustrated insulating strip 1 includes fire-resistant material strips 3 and 4. The fire-resistant strips 3 are positioned on the same face of the support layer 2 spaced apart to define the side sections of the insulating strip 1. The fire-resistant strips 4 are positioned side-by-side on the opposing face of the support layer 2, whereas these strips 4 are arranged at a certain distance from each other to form a middle section inbetween where no insulating material is arranged. The insulating strips 3 and 4 may be secured to the support layer 2 by adhesives 5 applied to the bottom of the insulating strips 3 and 4. The dotted lines indicate the position of the insulating strip 1 which aligns with the edge of a header track during or after installation of the insulating strip. The portions of the insulating strip 1 extending to the left hand side and the right hand side of the dotted line shall constitute the side sections. After installation of the insulating strip 1 the side sections are aligned with the legs of a header track or other construction product.

Removable cover layers (not shown) cover the underneath surfaces of the insulating material strips 3 and 4. An optional adhesive layer (not shown) may be included underneath the insulating material strips 3 or 4 or both and covered by the cover layer. Removable cover layers preferably cover the insulating material strips 4 when an adhesive layer is applied on the bottom surface of the support layer 2 as described in the preceding paragraph. Alternatively or additionally, a removable cover layer covers the optional additional adhesive layer on the middle section of the support layer 2.

Preferably the upper surface of the support layer 2 facing away from the insulating material strips 3, in particular the side sections are not provided with an adhesive. More preferably, in particular when the insulating material is sticky putty said surface of the side sections are coated with a thin silicon layer to avoid sticking the insulating material strips 3 on the support layer 2 when rolled up and prevent tearing off the insulating material strips 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates the insulating strip 1 of FIG. 1 a applied to a head-of-wall structure, in particular to a header track 20. The header track is a U-shaped channel that is attached to an upper horizontal support structure 30, such as a floor of an upper floor or a ceiling. Wall studs (not shown) are received in the header track 20 and may be configured for vertical movement relative to the header track 30. A wall board 21 is attached to the studs such as by a plurality of suitable fasteners. The insulating strip 1 is attached to the header track 20 so that a portion, namely the middle section, is positioned between the header track 20 and the horizontal support structure 30 and another portion, the side sections, of the insulating strip 1 is positioned between the legs of the header track 20 and the wall board 21. Each insulating material strip is facing towards the header track and the support layer is facing towards the horizontal support structure, namely the ceiling.

FIG. 4 illustrates the insulating strip 1 of FIG. 1 b applied to a head-of-wall structure, in particular to a header track 20. The header track is a U-shaped channel that is attached to an upper horizontal support structure 30, such as a floor of an upper floor or a ceiling. Wall studs (not shown) are received in the header track 20 and may be configured for vertical movement relative to the header track 30. A wall board 21 is attached to the studs such as by a plurality of suitable fasteners. The insulating strip 1 is attached to the header track 20 so that a portion, the middle section is positioned between the header track 20 and the horizontal support structure 30 and another portion, the side sections, of the insulating strip 1 is positioned between the legs of the header track 20 and the wall board 21.

With reference to FIG. 4 a, preferably the insulating material strip 3 is positioned between the leg of the header track 20 and the wall board 21 and the insulating material strip 4 is positioned between the web of the header track 20 and the horizontal support structure 30. In the shown arrangement, the support layer 2 in the side section constitutes the face of the insulating strip 1 that faces towards the wall board and comes in direct contact with the wall board 21. The insulating material strip 3 is fixed on the leg of the header track 20 either by its inherent adhesion or by an optional adhesive layer on its surface (not shown), said surface facing towards the leg of the header track 20. Preferably, the transition between the side section and the middle section of the insulating strip 1 (corresponding to the dotted line in FIG. 1) is aligned with the corner between the web and the leg of the header track 20 (also referred to as edge of the header track). The insulating strip 1 is secured on the header track by the adhesion of the insulating strip(s) 3. In addition, if an adhesion layer is provided on the surface of the support layer 2 which faces towards the web of the header track, the adhesive may assist in securing the insulating strip 1. Although only one side of the insulating strip 1 is shown, it is understood that the same applies to the other edge of the header track 20.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the insulating material strips 4 on the middle section are preferably positioned near the dotted line, so that the material strips are aligned near the edge of the header track 20. With such an arrangement, enhanced smoke and fire sealing may be achieved.

When exposed to sufficient heat, the insulating material will decompose to form a stable ash crust. When an intumescent material is used, the material will expand when exposed to a sufficient temperature to fill the gaps between the header track 20 and the horizontal support structure 30. Any cover layer that may be present may degrade in response to the exposure to an elevated temperature or in response to pressure exerted by the expansion of the intumescent material, if used.

While particular embodiments of this invention have been shown in the drawings and described above, it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the form, arrangement and positioning of the various elements of the combination. In consideration thereof, it should be understood that preferred embodiments of this invention disclosed herein are intended to be illustrative only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An insulating strip, comprising: a support layer; and a plurality of insulating material strips secured to the support layer; wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are secured to a same side of the support layer and wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are spaced apart from each other.
 2. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are secured to the support layer by an adhesive.
 3. The insulating strip according to claim 1: wherein the insulating strip includes a first side section, a second side section, and a middle section disposed between the first side section and the second side section; and wherein a first insulating material strip is disposed in the first side section, a second insulating material strip is disposed in the second side section, and a third and a fourth insulating material strip are disposed in the middle section.
 4. The insulating strip according to claim 3, wherein the first, the second, the third, and the fourth insulating material strips have a same width.
 5. The insulating strip according to claim 3, wherein a width of the first and the second insulating material strips is different from a width of the third and the fourth insulating material strips.
 6. The insulating strip according to claim 3, wherein a width of the first and the second insulating material strips is greater than a width of the third and the fourth insulating material strips.
 7. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of insulating material strips include a fire-resistant material and/or an acoustically insulating material.
 8. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein the support layer is a tape and wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are a sticky putty which includes an intumescent additive.
 9. The insulating strip according to claim 1, further comprising a removable cover layer disposed on the plurality of insulating material strips.
 10. An insulating strip, comprising: a support layer; and a plurality of insulating material strips secured to the support layer; wherein a first and a second insulating material strip are secured to a first side of the support layer, wherein a third and a fourth insulating material strip are secured to a second, opposite side of the support layer, and wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are spaced apart from each other.
 11. The insulating strip according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are secured to the support layer by an adhesive.
 12. The insulating strip according to claim 10: wherein the insulating strip includes a first side section, a second side section, and a middle section disposed between the first side section and the second side section; and wherein the first insulating material strip is disposed in the first side section, the second insulating material strip is disposed in the second side section, and the third and the fourth insulating material strip are disposed in the middle section.
 13. The insulating strip according to claim 10, wherein the first, the second, the third, and the fourth insulating material strips have a same width.
 14. The insulating strip according to claim 10, wherein a width of the first and the second insulating material strips is different from a width of the third and the fourth insulating material strips.
 15. The insulating strip according to claim 10, wherein a width of the first and the second insulating material strips is greater than a width of the third and the fourth insulating material strips.
 16. The insulating strip according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of insulating material strips include a fire-resistant material and/or an acoustically insulating material.
 17. The insulating strip according to claim 10, wherein the support layer is a tape and wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are a sticky putty which includes an intumescent additive.
 18. A wall joint, comprising: a header track; a horizontal support structure; and an insulating strip disposed between the header track and the horizontal support structure, wherein the insulating strip includes: a support layer; and a plurality of insulating material strips secured to the support layer; wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are secured to a same side of the support layer and the plurality of insulating material strips are spaced apart from each other; wherein the insulating strip includes a first side section, a second side section, and a middle section disposed between the first side section and the second side section; and wherein a first insulating material strip is disposed in the first side section, a second insulating material strip is disposed in the second side section, and a third and a fourth insulating material strip are disposed in the middle section; wherein the first insulating material strip of the first side section is attached to a first leg of the header track, the second insulating material strip of the second side section is attached to a second leg of the header track, and the third and the fourth insulating material strips of the middle section are attached to a portion of the header track that is disposed between the first leg and the second leg.
 19. A wall joint, comprising: a header track; a horizontal support structure; and an insulating strip disposed between the header track and the horizontal support structure, wherein the insulating strip includes: a support layer; and a plurality of insulating material strips secured to the support layer; wherein a first and a second insulating material strip are secured to a first side of the support layer, wherein a third and a fourth insulating material strip are secured to a second, opposite side of the support layer, and wherein the plurality of insulating material strips are spaced apart from each other; wherein the insulating strip includes a first side section, a second side section, and a middle section disposed between the first side section and the second side section; and wherein the first insulating material strip is disposed in the first side section, the second insulating material strip is disposed in the second side section, and the third and the fourth insulating material strips are disposed in the middle section; wherein the first insulating material strip of the first side section is attached to a first leg of the header track, the second insulating material strip of the second side section is attached to a second leg of the header track, and the third and the fourth insulating material strips of the middle section are attached to a portion of the horizontal support structure that is disposed between the first leg and the second leg of the header track. 